


The Difference

by RainbowSerenity



Series: Royal AU [4]
Category: Final Fantasy XIII
Genre: Almost Kiss, Alternate Universe - Royalty, F/M, Modern Royalty, Royalty, Unresolved Romantic Tension, so close
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-29
Updated: 2017-11-29
Packaged: 2019-02-08 06:01:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12858306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainbowSerenity/pseuds/RainbowSerenity
Summary: The kingdom of Eden's long-lost Princess, Lightning, goes over a bunch of information for her introduction ball. Her...personal bodyguard decides to try and help, but he's more of a distraction in the best and worst way.





	The Difference

Back when she’d been in the Corps, struggling to survive, Lightning had never really given much thought to history or relations with other kingdoms. Not only was that the old royal family’s business to worry about, but it was Serah’s department as a future teacher.

Now, Lightning wished that she could take a slice of that knowledge, just on the off chance it would get Sazh off her back.

“Seriously, have you even _looked_ at those documents I’ve been givin’ you? At _all?_ Even just a stern glance?”

“I’ve been busy,” Lightning muttered, which wasn’t too far from the truth - she’d just been busy avoiding any thought of diplomatic relations at her introduction ball. She hadn’t been the crown princess of the kingdom of Eden for too long and had mostly avoided the public eye. This ball would be her first real moment in the spotlight.

Which was why she was busy being terrified.

It was a weird feeling. Lightning didn’t get scared of _anything._ She hadn’t really allowed herself ever since her parents had died and she had to be there for Serah. Being in the Guardian Corps for years had toughened her up into a real solider - _not_ a princess.

And yet, here she was, the long-lost member of the royal family who was to instill relations with other kingdoms that had long been ignored.

All of the etiquette lessons in the _world_ couldn’t prepare her for this.

She was so lost in thought that she barely realized that Sazh had been rambling this entire time. It was rude, she realized…but then again, it’d been Sazh who’d come to the conclusion that there were members of the royal family still in existence. If he hadn’t perused the family tree and found out all the hundreds of directions it’d gone in over the centuries, he never would have found her and Serah.

Yeah, she could _absolutely_ blame him for all of this.

“ - and truth be told, the Patron of Yusnaan’s fal’cie provides a lot of the food, so even though he’s just a kid - hey! Are you listening?!”

“No,” Lightning admitted. “I’ll look over the stupid paperwork. Can I do it without you talking to me?”

Sazh pretended to look hurt, though it was clearly an exaggeration. “What, don’t want my help now?”

“Not really. I’d ask you to stay, but I don’t like you.”

This time, he let out a bark of laughter and patted Lightning’s shoulder - a breach of etiquette for most people, but he could get away with it since he was the royal advisor. Unfortunately for her, he was actually pretty good at the job, so she couldn’t get rid of him.

Oh, who the hell was she kidding? It was because of him that she’d yet to make a fool of herself. And he wasn’t _that_ annoying…most of the time.

Still, that didn’t mean she wanted him around _constantly._

“Fine, fine. I’ll leave you to it _.”_

Lightning raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

“Seriously, princess.” Sazh grinned and she rolled her eyes. “Just don’t go leavin’ the room. I don’t know if security’s swept the palace.”

“Right.” At least it wouldn’t be too bad to be stuck in here – she was in one of the many ‘sitting rooms’ in the palace, but Sazh had hinted that it could become her office if she wished. The old queen’s office was on a different floor, but the view here was much nicer. People could move things around and decorate it to her liking as soon as she gave the word.

It was still such a strange thought, to have nearly anything she desired at the snap of a finger after years of struggling to survive.

When she heard the door open a few minutes later, she assumed it was Sazh and said without looking up from the papers in front of her, “I thought you said you’d ‘leave me to it.'”

There was a quiet chuckle that sounded entirely _unlike_ Sazh. “I’m afraid I said no such thing, Your Highness.”

Lightning looked up sharply, ignoring how her face seemed to instantly grow warm at the sight of Hope, her…personal bodyguard.

_And that’s all he is – just your bodyguard!_

She cleared her throat. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” After a pause, she slumped back in her chair in a decidedly un-princesslike fashion. “Don’t tell me. Sazh sent you.”

“More or less.” Hope had his hands behind his back in his usual professional stance, but he was shifting a bit, almost like he was nervous. “I can leave if you’d like, Your – Light. I know you’re quite capable of taking care of yourself.”

She couldn’t help the tiny smile that quirked the ends of her lips. Ever since they’d met, she’d been insisting that he call her by her nickname, and though he usually didn’t remember until the last second, it was nice that he was trying to honor the request.

Plus, it just felt… _wrong,_ somehow, for him to call her by her title.

Not that she wanted to think about _why._

“You can stay,” she finally said, realizing he was waiting for an answer. She said up a little straighter, instantly correcting her posture. “In fact, maybe you can help me.”

“Gladly.” He crossed the room, and after a little nod from her, sat down in a seat next to hers. “What can I assist you with?”

“I’m supposed to learning more about all of these other kingdoms, these rulers, their fal'cie…” Lightning heaved a sigh. “I didn’t give much thought to any of this back when I was a…commoner, I guess.”

“I don’t see how _you_ could ever be common.”

She looked up at him again, her eyes widening ever-so-slightly when she saw the splotches of color on his cheeks and couldn’t help but wonder if he’d meant to say that.

And what it meant.

There was a long pause that quickly turned awkward, but she simply cleared her throat and pushed through. Every lesson she’d had on dealing with others, with the press, with whoever, insisted that she didn’t linger on silences. Don’t give them thought and everyone would follow your lead.

“Um, yes.” _Brilliant, Farron._ “They’re all just sort of…blurring together in my mind. I think it’s starting to overload with everything else everyone’s been telling me.”

Hope smiled and the awkwardness faded. “I can imagine.” He gestured to the papers. “May I?”

“Be my guest.”

He picked a few up and scanned them quickly – a little _too_ quickly for someone who was simply supposed to be a bodyguard, though maybe he simply read fast. He was from Palumpolum – that area had some of the best education in the world.

Not that she’d tucked away that little tidbit of info for any reason, really.

“I’ve met some of these leaders,” Hope finally said carefully. “Or…at least in a professional capacity.”

This was surprising. “You have?”

“Yes. I don’t know them that well,” he added hurriedly, “but maybe if the details were a little more, I don’t know…personal, you could remember this a bit easier?”

“Sounds reasonable to me.” A pause. “…How do you know them? If you don’t mind my asking,” she added hastily.

Hope seemed to weigh his response, but finally replied with a little smile, “You’re not the first royal I’ve had the pleasure of guarding.”

“Really.” Maybe that was how he’d gotten the job. She, the kingdom of Eden’s long-lost princess, would definitely need a bodyguard that knew what they were doing.

Then again, it wasn’t as though she’d had any say in the matter – she hadn’t even _known_ she was getting a bodyguard until Hope had announced himself all that time ago.

“Yes.” His smile grew a bit wider, like he was testing how far he could go with it. “I have to say, you’re…definitely different.”

“In what way?”

There was a moment of hesitance. Lightning wondered too late if those words had been an insult and now he was trying to soften the blow, but to her relief, he chuckled. “In a good way, I promise. After all, none of them have ever asked me to help with…” He gestured his hand over the papers. “Any sort of royal task.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, I haven’t had much practice in being royal,” Lightning grumbled. “If I knew what I was doing, I wouldn’t bother asking.”

“Fair enough.” Hope seemed faintly amused at that, but he quickly hid it and glanced down at one of the papers. “The guest here I’m most familiar with is the duchess of Luxerion.”

“Luxerion…” she muttered to herself. All that was coming to mind was a kingdom so far north that their claim to fame was that they usually shrouded in darkness. Because of this, they used a great deal of artificial lights that rarely went out and was sometimes ironically called 'the city of light.’ She’d never given the place any thought until now. “Their fal'cie…it creates metal and precious stones, right? It’s their main source of export.”

“Correct,” Hope replied, and Lightning nearly rolled her eyes at his cheeky smile. “The duchess is called Dia Vanille, though she prefers to go by Vanille in a social capacity.”

“Would this ball I’m being forced to have count as 'social capacity’? Despite the fact that I’m supposed to be making relations?”

“Really?” He looked up at her with a frown. “That’s what they want you to do?”

“Yes. I guess it makes sense.” She shrugged with one shoulder, idly looking away and smoothing out the folds of the dress she was wearing. “New princess and all. They all probably want to get a good look at me and take bets on how quickly I’ll screw this all up.”

There was a long pause – so long, in fact, that Lightning thought that Hope might have somehow left the room, but to her utter shock, he slowly moved so that he was kneeling in front of her and lightly grasped her hand. Her fingers seemed to automatically curl around his, seeking the instant security he seemed to give her.

“Light,” he said after a beat, and she inwardly smiled, knowing he’d had to stop himself from using her title. “You’re right that you’re new at this, but from what I’ve seen, you don’t have a thing to worry about.”

Her heart was pounding, though whether it was from his words, the sincerity in his gaze as he looked up at her, or their hands clasped together, she didn’t know. “…Really?”

“Yes.” He gently squeezed her hand, hesitating again before he continued. “The kingdom of Eden, it’s…it’s rather divided. It might be the largest in the world, but there are many who aren’t happy with how things have been run in the past.”

“I know,” she replied. And she did – Eden’s fal'cie was Phoenix, the glorious bearer of the sun. Clearly without it, they would all be doomed.

But she knew firsthand how, in the past, the old members of the royal family abused this. Instead of using their immense power to help everyone, their assistance seemed to be limited. Before she’d gotten the job with the Guardian Corps after her parents had died, Lightning could all too easily recall living in a shelter with Serah near the slums. Luckily, she’d been able to get out of there.

What about those who couldn’t?

“Exactly,” Hope said at her contemplative silence. For some reason, there was a sad look on his face, but it passed by in the next instant. “You’ve seen both sides. And now you can _use_ that. You can be the greatest ruler Eden has ever seen.”

Even though her instinct was to brush the words off, Lightning was honestly stunned into silence. The look in his eyes said it all – he actually _meant_ it. To have someone other than family, like Serah, or someone who’d been there since the beginning, like Sazh, actively _believe_ that she could truly do this, was…

Indescribable.

She had no idea when it’d happened, but Hope had slowly risen from his knelt position to lean in closer to her. Their hands were still linked and he braced his free one on the armrest, moving in closer… _so_ close. Her eyes fluttered closed and she could feel his breath trembling in anticipation…

Or was that hers…?

“Princess!”

There was a sharp knock at the door that woke them both up out of this…this _stupor._ Hope gasped and scrambled to his feet, almost knocking over a table in his haste. He stared at her with wide eyes, his face as pale as his silvery hair.

“Princess! You still in there?”

Lightning tried to calm her breathing as she stared right back, vaguely recognizing the voice as Sazh. Her attempt at calming herself felt like it was in vain, since her voice trembled when she replied, “Y-Yes, I’m in here.”

Hope seemed to remember himself at that second and scurried across the room to open the door. Sazh didn’t seem all that surprised, at least.

“Ah, knew you’d be in here, Hope. Are helping her out?”

“Y-Yes.” Hope’s voice was shaking too, though luckily, Sazh still didn’t seem to notice. “We were just…ah - ”

“Discussing the fal'cie,” Lightning interrupted smoothly. She straightened her posture, hoping that might get her back into some semblance of normalcy. Well, if all of this could actually be considered _normal._ “I mean, if I’m supposed to be discussing relations…”

“Exactly.” Hope nodded. “I was just telling her that the duchess Dia Vanille is very friendly, though her family had never been previously on good terms with Eden. Maybe we can change that.”

Sazh sighed heavily. “I sure hope so.” He glanced at Lightning. “Sorry to interrupt, but that seamstress is back to get you all fitted for that gown.”

Lightning frowned. “I thought they already had my measurements.”

“Do I look like a seamstress? How am I supposed to know what else they want?”

“Fine.” She sighed, intending to follow Sazh, but she couldn’t just..leave things like this. Could she? “…Sazh, can you give Hope and I a moment?”

He quirked a brow – what, was she not supposed to call her bodyguard by his first name? - but actually nodded in agreement. “Don’t keep me waiting.”

“As though you’d let me.”

He snorted in amusement, pointing at his wrist – not that there was a watch there – as he left the room. Right. She needed to keep this brief.

But what the _hell_ was she supposed to say?

“I…”

“I apologize.” Hope had his hands behind his back, all business. “That was…it was – I – that was highly inappropriate of me,” he finally managed to say.

“…Oh.” On one hand, it was hard to disagree with that, especially from a professional standpoint, but at the same time…

“We can just forget it ever happened.” He wasn’t quite looking at her. “It might be best for the both of us.”

“Oh,” Lightning echoed. What was the _matter_ with her? She’d never felt so…tongue-tied around anyone before.

Hope nodded, like her answer was completely appropriate and expected, and bowed at the waist. “I’ll leave you to your duties, then.”

 _Duties._ Like getting fitted for a ball gown really mattered so much.

“Hope, wait,” she said as he walked past her, presumably to leave. Even though she could tell that he wanted to put this behind them, he still stopped, his expression both hesitant and hopeful.

What could she say to him? Could they even consider themselves on good terms now?

_Acknowledge it and move on._

“Yes?” he prompted when she didn’t say anything.

“I…” Though she knew that there were no reporters in here, no photographers, nothing to suggest that this conversation would live on throughout history, it still felt like there was a spotlight on her and she had to be careful of what she said. “Are you still coming to the ball?”

He blinked a couple of times, finally looking at her fully. The smile the curved on his lips said it all. “I think so. You did invite me, yes?”

“Yes. And the invitation still stands.”

He bowed, still smiling at her. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on [tumblr](http://rainbowserenity.tumblr.com)~


End file.
